"Doc Martin" with Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz (2011)

This quirky little series has a unique charm which will draw you in quickly. The characters are all richly developed. The story revolves around the simple plot of a doctor in a small Cornish town who has a baby with another medical professional. The two are unmarried.

Between the slightly inept Town Constable, the drugged out pharmacist, the cat woman, his off-beat “mother in law”, and problems associated with his rather brusque bedside manner combine to create some truly awkward moments for the Doc as well as those around him. In short, he has no bedside manner at all and is somewhat of a bull in a china closet. But, he is a genius.

One things for sure in this series; you never know what’s going to happen next; nor how Doc Martin is going to react to it. Nor, how the people around him will react to the things he says and does. You will marvel at the fact that this socially backward man could even land a woman at all, let alone one as sweet as his significant other. But will they last? This season finds her moving out to be with her mother, taking the baby with her.

While Doc Martin struggles to come to terms with his personal life, he saves just about everyone else’s. This is another of those great British series which I never see on TV; electing to watch them binge fashion instead when they are released as DVD’s. Though I have started with the 5^th Season, the characters are immediately familiar, and basically what you see is what you get. 

"George Gently" with Martin Shaw (2008)

The George Gently series is actually based on the Alan Hunter novels involving Inspector George Gently of London’s Metropolitan Police Force. He is based at Scotland Yard, but due to his penchant for getting to the heart of things, without particular regards to the regulations, he finds himself transferred to the North East District of London. Here he faces new and uglier cases than before and also finds himself teamed up with a new and younger partner, who may be just a tad over eager to prove his worth.

 In this compilation labeled Season One, there are three discs. The first one is the pilot “Gently Go Man”, which first aired on Apr. 8, 2007. It met with great acclaim and set the ball rolling for the rest of the series in 2008. The first two of episodes of that season are also included here.

In “Gently Go Man” we are introduced to the main characters just as Inspector Gently’s wife is killed by a hit and run driver which may not have been an accident at all. Rather than retire, Gently finds himself caught up in a similar case, which leads him back to the same people whom he believes killed his wife. A clash of jurisdictions further complicate matters as Gently considers retirement. But not before he solves this case.

The following summer saw the release of the first real episode with “The Burning Man” airing on July 13, 2008. In this episode Inspector Gently finds himself with a partner in the form of Detective Baachus, an impulsive young man who is prone to leap to conclusions; but are they all wrong? Inspector Gently is faced with solving the case of a badly burned body found near the old RAF base at Huxton. A second murder puts him and Baachus on the scent of the IRA in this cat and mouse episode featuring a faked death and a kidnapping.

In the third episode; each airs about 90 minutes; “Bomber’s Moon”, which aired on July 20, 2008, Gently and Baachus look into the murder of yet another man, this time Gunter Scheikel; someone must have had a laugh naming this character; a former POW, who is found in the local harbor, apparently the victim of an accidental drowning. But with a broken back, why was he in the water in the first place? And if he wasn’t there by choice, someone had to put him there. Inspector Gently, along with Baachus, are determined to find the person/persons responsible for this one.

Good writing and tight direction make these shows highly entertaining. Like the “Foyle’s War” series, they evoke a palpable sense of England and also what it was like in the early 1960’s, when the effects of the war were still felt in Britain. Great cinematography and acting round out these shows, making them a sure fire hit each time. I can’t wait to pick up the 2^nd season.

"We and They" by Rudyard Kipling

On October 10th, 1977 Alec Guinness gave a rare interview on Michael Parkinson's BBC show. He reminisced about his life in show business and his fascination with animals. He even donned a cap and in a small boys voice read the following poem by Rudyard Kipling. I recently ran across the video of that performance as a bonus feature with the film "Kind Hearts and Coronets." I have not been able to find a clip of it on You Tube. But I'm still looking! In its absence I have posted a clip from the 1948 David Lean Production of "Oliver Twist", in which Mr. Guinness appears as Fagin. In this short clip he evokes all the necessary emotions imaginable; from kindness to greed and suspicion.

Alec Guinness has often been described as the actor who has no face. You can literally see him in several movies in a row and not recognize him. He is also Colonel Nicholson in Pierre Boulle's "The Bridge Over the River Kwai", as well as Obi-Wan in the iconic "Star Wars" films. Talk about versatility!

The Parkinson's interview was a bit over an hour long, and when it was through, it simply wasn't enough. And to cap off the interview, during which he had impersonated various animals which he had used as inspiration for several parts in his films, he donned a cap and glasses, reading, in a child's voice, this wonderful poem by Rudyard Kipling.

"A Friend of the Family"
From "Debits and Credits"(1919-1923)

Father and Mother, and Me,
Sister and Auntie say
All the people like us are We,
And every one else is They.
And They live over the sea,
While We live over the way,
But-would you believe it? --They look upon We
As only a sort of They!

We eat pork and beef
With cow-horn-handled knives.
They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,
Are horrified out of Their lives;
While they who live up a tree,
And feast on grubs and clay,
(Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon We
As a simply disgusting They!

We shoot birds with a gun.
They stick lions with spears.
Their full-dress is un-.
We dress up to Our ears.
They like Their friends for tea.
We like Our friends to stay;
And, after all that, They look upon We
As an utterly ignorant They!

We eat kitcheny food.
We have doors that latch.
They drink milk or blood,
Under an open thatch.
We have Doctors to fee.
They have Wizards to pay.
And (impudent heathen!) They look upon We
As a quite impossible They!

All good people agree,
And all good people say,
All nice people, like Us, are We
And every one else is They:
But if you cross over the sea,
Instead of over the way,
You may end by (think of it!) looking on We
As only a sort of They!